The Deepest Scar
by Silver-Misty90
Summary: A twist in the Farthing Wood series...What if Dreamer hadn't died and another cub had.....? Won third prize in a compitition. PG rated for violence.


The Deepest Scar

1) Tricked

A long drawn out howl rent the air. The cry of a baffled fox. Vixen paused, the dead mouse falling from her jaws.

"What's happened?" she whispered, quickening her pace.

She arrived near her earth to see Fox, her mate, wailing near a tree. She glanced at her three cubs, sitting by their father, looking equally puzzled.

"Where's Dreamer?" she asked.

Fox turned worried eyes to her.

"She's gone" he answered.

"Gone?"

His eyes sparked suddenly.

"This is the work of Scarface!" he growled "I know it!"

Bold, one of the cubs, suddenly spoke.

"We should search for her, Dad" he said calmly "She's always wondering off".

He turned to his mother.

"I'm sure she's alright" he added reassuringly.

Fox looked at him.

"Of course, Bold" he replied, turning to look at his mate "I'll take Charmer with me. You keep Friendly".

"What about Bold?" cut in his other son quickly "Who's _he_ going with?"

The Famous Farthing Fox stared steadily at the eager youngster's face.

"I'm sure he can cope alone" he decided "Don't you agree, Son?"

Bold grinned widely, his tail swishing in excitement.

"I'll find Dreamer" he cried, taking off through the trees "I'll fine her….or die in the process!"

Nobody knew how valid his statement was.

Dreamer limped on, dragging her wounded leg. She searched frantically for her home earth that had seemed only paw-prints away before she was attacked. She had just been following a very pretty butterfly before he arrived. She recalled the blue flash that passed over her, the ugly snarl of recognition,

"Wait a minute, you're a Farthing cub…a _red_ cub, aren't you?"

She had nodded, so dumbly, so afraid.

"Well then, we can't have that, can we?" he leered before he struck.

She remembered the glint of the fangs before they had sunk into her. The searing pain down her hind leg as she yelped. She had run away, whimpering. Something Bold, her brother-cub, would never have done.

Speaking of Bold…

"Dreamer! Dreeee-meeer!"

That was his voice! She just knew it. The little vixen-cub hobbled as fast as she could in the direction of his voice. She wanted to call out but fear of the blue fox silenced her. Then she spotted her brother, wandering aimlessly, and could not suppress a relieved yelp. She was safe. Bold would protect her. He wasn't scared of Scarface. Speaking of Scarface…

"Looking for your sister, are you, Cub?"

The sound of his voice and the menacing scent of the blue fox sent off alarms in her mind. Dreamer skidded to a halt only meters away from where Scarface stood infront of Bold. She instinctively crawled into some bushes and watched the confrontation, her small form quivering in fright. Bold stepped back a pace but no more.

"Yes, I am" he answered "If you've done something to her…"

The hidden vixen-cub mentally cheered her brother on. Scarface, however, wasn't exactly enthusiastic about it.

"… then you'll turn back and leave?" he sneered "Then you'de best start running, impertinent Cub! She's as good as dead".

Dreamer berated herself for not running out of cover and proving the big blue fox wrong. She was soon to regret it even more. Bold curled back his lip in a youngster's snarl.

"You ought to be dead!" he growled, his dark eyes flashing.

Scarface took a step forward and revealed his fangs in a real snarl, ten times more fearsome than her brother's.

"You're going to regret trespassing on _my_ land!" he answered.

His former victim quivered, her mind urging her to run, to warn Bold. She mentally screamed, telling him to run before it was too late. For a second, uncertainty flickered in his eyes. An unsure second was all Scarface needed.

"I'm going to make you run, Cub!" he taunted "Back to your Famous father like a vixen-cub!"

Dreamer wept helplessly as Bold fell into the cunning trap of the scarred fox. He puffed out his chest and said defiantly,

"Try it!"

The little vixen watched as the crime appeared before her eyes. The triumphant snarl, the muffled yelp of pain and then the silence. The long, awful silence. Bold lay still on the ground. The blue fox sneered down at the fading youngster.

"I just did, Cub" he growled maliciously "And do you know what? I won!"

Then he was gone. Dreamer shivered and hardly dared to peered through the leaves at her sibling's corpse. The sound of ragged breathing reached her ears as the young cub brushed her paws against her eyes. She looked up in wonder before she ran out of cover. She reached her brother's bother, pawing it in delight. He was alive! Bold winced as her paw caressed his neck and was stained by the blood from a large gash. She realised this and whimpered.

"Dreamer!" he gasped "Scarface said you were dead".

The vixen-cub shook her muzzle sadly. Her brother suddenly smiled, the last thing she felt like doing now.

"That's good" he breathed painfully "At least… he didn't …get both …of us".

She nodded, regarding him silently through dark eyes. He tried to laugh but managed only a choke. She backed away nervously before stepping forward again, her ears pricked and her fur raised slightly.

"Dreamer!" he choked "Why…don't you…ever …say anything?"

He gazed back into her eyes and saw a flicker of feeling.

"Say…something…for me…Dreamer" he asked "Before…I…."

She responded to his request before he could finish.

"You were…_are_ very brave, Bold" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes "I'm sorry".

Bold tried to shake his head but a strangled cry of pain escaped him.

"Don't…be…Dreamer" he murmured, breathing his last "Be proud…"

2) Guilty

The little vixen cub sat down and wailed. She no longer cared if the blue fox returned to finish her off. In fact, through her guilt, she almost wished he would. She cried for Bold and for her wounded leg. The sound of approaching paw-prints became clearer and Dreamer sobbed louder, nearly wishing Scarface would jump out and end her life.

"Dreamer!"

It was her mother's voice. She wanted to run and snuggle into the soft, warm fur of her parents but something held her where she was.

"Dreamer, I'm so glad you're alright! What happ…?"

The young cub closed her eyes and fell silent, an awful stillness hovering in the air.

"Bold? No, Bold!"

Vixen's cry brought Fox onto the scene. There were several shocked gasps. Dreamer lowered her head closer to the ground, tears of shame rolling down her cheeks.

"What happened?"

"Father, that's not…"

"Mother, what's wrong with Bold?"

Listening to the voices of her father and siblings made the vixen-cub look up. Fox, who was nuzzling Vixen, gazed down sadly at his boldest son.

"He was a brave cub" he murmured into his mate's fur "I'm proud of him".

Proud. Bold's last words rang in her ears and Dreamer stood up. Tears strayed as far as her eyes but no further. There was a look of determination on the little one's features.

"It's about time you taught that Scar-faced fox a lesson, isn't it?" she stated, surprisingly bold.

Vixen and the other cubs stared at her in surprise. Fox shook his head.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Dreamer" he sighed wearily "We musn't start something we can't finish. _I_ can't finish" he added mournfully.

Something in Dreamer suddenly snapped. Overwhelmed by feelings of guilt, rage and sorrow, all other feelings vanished.

"Conclusions? I saw it happen!" she shrieked.

Vixen choked.

"You…saw…Scarface….?"

The rest was left unsaid but the young vixen nodded.

"Yes, I saw what he did to Bold" she cried "Every bit of it".

Fox then looked up.

"And you did nothing about it?" he growled "You should have fetched us, Dreamer! Maybe then Bold would have…"

His daughter had worked herself into a frenzy.

"Why don't _you_ do something about it?" she sobbed "Can't finish? You, the Famous Farthing Wood Fox?"

"That's enough!" snapped Fox, the loos of his son and his surviving cub's ravings finally getting to him "You've got a lot to learn, my girl, before you tell _me_ what to do!"

Dreamer sprang over Bold's corpse, pushing past Fox and racing away.

"Nobody can tell you what to!" she cried "You're _far_ too proud for that!"

No, Bold was wrong. Pride was no good to anyone.

3) Alone

Dreamer raced on, ignoring the stinging in her hind-leg, ignoring the gasps of her own breath. She ran until she could run no more. Before she collapsed, the little vixen slowed down to an unsteady totter. Her eyes roved and soon rested on a large pink and yellow butterfly. It hovered above a clump of purple flowers before settling down on the largest. A pensive smile spread across her face as Dreamer lost track of things. She sat down and gazed at the butterfly, lost in thought for what seemed an eternity. The insect was so pretty as it fluttered from flower to flower. It never stayed in one place for long. Fox's cub found herself wishing to just like the butterfly. No permanent home. A living traveller. A low growl interrupted her thoughts. The butterfly flew off and Dreamer looked up sharply. A blue figure stood before her. Blue! She rose so quickly the other was startled.

"Hi there" came the other fox-cub's voice.

It wasn't Scarface. The little vixen sighed in relief but stayed on her paws.

"I don't mean any harm" she said quietly, backing off " I'm going back to Farthing la…"

She stopped, uncertain of whether she really _was_ going back to her father's land. She wasn't sure if she could bear it.

"You needn't worry" said the other cub "I wouldn't hurt anything so lovely. What's your name?"

"Dreamer" Vixen's daughter answered "What's your's?"

The blue cub chuckled and, although she was still wary, Dreamer warmed to him slightly.

"I can guess why they called you that, Stranger" he responded.

They both glanced at the flowers and laughed simultaneously.

"Well, my friends call me Ranger "he added.

Dreamer was suddenly struck by a thought.

"You're Scarface's son?" she gasped.

Ranger took a step forward, his eyes displaying regret.

"Don't blame me" he said quickly "I didn't choose me parents. Neither did you".

The earlier events of the day were refreshed in her mind at the mention of parents. She felt what his eyes showed and turned away.

"I know" she murmured "We're not to blame".

As she began to walk away, Ranger called out hopelessly behind her.

"We don't have to let their quarrels get between us, do we?"

She sighed and gazed back at him a last time.

"You don't understand, Ranger" she said softly "It already has".

The little vixen ran, leaping the fence and fleeing from her father's war. Later on that day, a gun shot sounded in the woods of a game keeper and nature had claimed it's last Farthing cub…

THE END


End file.
